Our first night we had dinner at Azul Historico. Its a very nice venue, open air and with a retractable ceiling. They do a huge business and reservations are a must. We saw some folks try for walk ins but the wait was very long. The mole at Azul is outstanding. They have the mole made in Oaxaca and then it is brought to the restaurant. They also had a starter of fideos secos that was great. Ditto their famous bean tamale. Their tortilla soup was very good but - served cold. In fact, we thought the service generally was not up to par and that the food at this location was not up to that served at the Condesa location. (Yes, the same menus.) The Historico location feels more rushed, more informal, and just not as smooth running as in Condesa. Indeed, a subsequent night the tortilla soup at the Condesa location was served piping hot and service was way better.

We also ate at Guzina Oaxaca, relatively new in Polanco. It has received some attention on these boards. The night we went we arrived late in the evening, after a concert, and the restaurant was quiet. The venue is pretty. Service was excellent, the staff really wants you to enjoy yourself and they are way happy to talk to you/explain the food. They have a duck tamale with mole on the menu that is superb. A lamb with red mole too is excellent, though the portion is a bit small we thought for the pricing. Good selection of mescals which, again, the staff is way happy to let you taste and discuss.

Another night we at at El Bajio in Polanco, where we had eaten on a prior trip. Our meal was very good. For a good "go to" spot Bajio should not disappoint. Again excellent tortilla soup and a great chicken mole. Good service, prices very reasonable. One day we also had a breakfast at the restaurant and it was packed, packed. Great bkfst. Outstanding hot chocolate, eggs divorciados, etc. Terrific conchas.

Ditto a lunch at El Cardenal in the central historico. Its a classic venue, and it was packed on a weekend. Note they stop serving their bkfst items at 1 pm, I think. Delicious chiliquiles with an egg on top, along with other egg dishes, very good assortment of fruit drinks. Order as a starter their "molcajete" a selection of some cheese, avocado, salsa and fresh tortillas. You will see one on every table.

A lunch at Contramar may have been the highlight. The meal was excellent, from start to finish. Their tostadas de atun were one of the best things we had eaten in a long time. Melt in your mouth. Just excellent, the standard for such an item. Everything else we ordered was likewise delicious. By 3 pm or so the place is packed, and it is indeed a scene. Yet, with all this, the service we had was outstanding. Our waiter was one of the best waiters we have had in ages (something he seemed genuinely happy to hear), simply on the ball, interested in how we were doing and what we were ordering. Very good sangria and lemonade too. For a meal of that caliber the bill was very reasonable (the favorable exchange rate helps).

We also had the great pleasure of taking a food and market tour with Cristina, who is so generous with her time on this Board. She is a wealth of information and we had an excellent day with her. If you have the opportunity to join Cristina we highly recommend it.

All in all, great food in Mexico City, can't wait to return.

PSAs you depart Mexico City - there are now a couple of Maison Kaiser small restaurants/kiosks at the airport, Terminal 2. Many sandwiches and salads as options. I wish they would put one in LaGuardia....

We had dinner at Rosie's the other night. The restaurant was mostly full when we arrived and completely full by the time we left, around 8 pm. They have been open two months and have been off to a very strong start, always crowded.

After trying a number of items we think Rosie's is certainly one of the "better" go to Mexican spots in the city right now. We returned from Mexico City just about a week ago and have a pretty good basis for comparison (no, its not DF but the food at Rosie's is generally good).

The margaritas are well done, they have a good selection of Mexican beers on tap and by the bottle. The guacamole is also good, not a huge portion but its well done. It served with freshly made chips. The chips are beyond salty; salty to where I had to rub off the salt on my napkin. When I asked our waiter if we could get some chips without salt he said, "yes, I wish you could but no we can't." WTH? This was particularly odd since, in the middle of the restaurant, there is a square mini-kitchen grill area where three or four women are making fresh tortillas and chips, as is typical in DF. So, presumably, all that needed to be done was to ask for a batch with no salt. Big strike out for not accommodating us there, especially where it was obvious the waiter had heard this same comment before. Ironically, while the service from the waiters was fine, the service from the Mexican busboys was decidedly superior. They were quick, friendly, on the ball. They know the food. The place would be running more smoothly if those guys were pushed forward.

The queso fundido was well done. Served with warm fresh tortillas and a chile de arbol sauce (if you ask for it, otherwise they will bring you two small bowls of different salsa, for which they charge, I believe). The tortillas at Rosie's are a strong point. They are made from nixtamalized corn, I asked. That makes a huge difference win taste (and nutrition). You can taste this immediately. A number of Mexican spots in the city have now made this switch and hopefully it will be the standard soon.

We had only tacos al pastor and the barbacoa tacos. Both were very good, particularly the barbacoa. We also ordered some rice and beans, both were just Ok. The rice was dry and had been cooked some time earlier, the black beans were not a highlight. Although we did not have them the churros looked very good.

Pricing is on par with similar spots, and less expensive than some others. Rosie's has a number of larger plates, also which looked good. For a lighter meal, fun vibe, Rosie's is a good downtown option. We look forward to going back.

We are heading to Mexico City and looking for an alternative to Dulce Patria. We ate in DP shortly after it opened years back, and had a great meal, but are looking for an alternative. Pujol does not seem as appealing, and we have Cosme here in NYC. We certainly could return to DP if that remains a great option. Other suggestions?

In terms of other restaurants - we also really liked Azul Condesa when we had a dinner there, and likely would return. Is there a similar newer spot? Azul Historico is the same? Perhaps that it a good option?

Is there anyplace like Contramar (focus on seafood) that serves dinner?

We also liked El Cardenal a lot (and have been to the ones in the centro historic and in the Hilton). Is there also a restaurant similar we could try?

Also, in terms of food, is Mercado Roma interesting? Or simply "good to see" but not have a meal there?

We also think the dosas are better at Kokum than SB. And service way better. We have had some good cures at Kokum too, but found their portion size (in the chicken and lamb curries) ridiculously small for the price. Pippali is a very good option.

We walked in earlier this evening (we had eaten nearby). The place was crowded, the chicken rice looked good. This noodle dish was featured on the blackboard just as you enter. Will have to try it next time. We then went to Sugar Club across the street for dessert. Great mango and stick rice, served almost as a sundae, with a large scoop of ice cream.

We like the pizza at Rubirosa a lot. Very thin crust. Good meatballs too. Had a good dish of simple gnocchi there too once. They are always packed in the evening, make a reservation. At a recent lunch they also were crowded and we were there late. Good strolling on that street, nearby streets.

Although this is an old thread - I wanted to give a short report on a recent visit to Samudra, a south indian vegetarian spot in Jackson Heights/Little India. We went the other day and had a great dinner. The restaurant is simple, long and narrow, comfortable

We have been on a dosa and utthapam kick lately, trying them in many places. The dosa we had here was the best we have had so far. Just great, well made, great filling, excellent side sauces. The utthapam too was excellent. We also ordered an eggplant curry that was great, one of the best we've had of that well known dish. The owner is amiable, always there, friendly. Service was good enough, quick. It is definitely now on our go to circuit.

We have been multiple times and have not found the salt level high, certainly lower than some other spots (I found the food too salty at Malai Marke on occasion, for example). Samir, the maitr'd at Pippali, is a great host. Their lamb shank is excellent. Ditto their other spicy lamb curry.

Agreed on the Bar Pitti points. A 15 year old girl should like it a lot, and while not dress up, she certainly can get dressed up and won't be much considered over dressed. People go there in all sorts of outfits. Lunch there is a good idea. You can then take a stroll down Bleeker Street, right there on the corner. Dress up Italian - Marea may be your best option. And yes, Il Mulino is for a way older crowd. Have fun.

Thank you! I'm not sure I ever knew it was seasonal. Only that sometimes they had it - and sometimes they didn't. They also used to make excellent corn muffin type things, in an oval shape, looking a bit like a cigar.

Another vote for Buddakan - there are few 18 year old girls in the NYC area who wouldn't like to have a party there. Maybe in the library downstairs. Focus on the apps for food. They also can then walk around a bit in the area after dinner. Have fun.

Lupa on Thompson may be an option. They have a back room where they can set up a long table and I have on a few occasions had 12+ people there for dinner. I think nowadays for that size group they may require a set menu but that is not unusual.

Is there table service at Empellon al Pastor? Or it is all self service? You go up to the front, order and then pick up your own food and drink? Thanks.

PSOn an unrelated note, Benny's Burrito's a block or so south, closed a few weeks ago. We are often near there and it looks very different with Benny's closed (though we hadn't eaten there in 20 years). When it first opened it was an outlier for the neighborhood. It looks though as if they opened a very small "to go" spot right next door.

The idea for Chinatown/dim sum makes sense, and a large spot, like Jing Fong or Golden Unicorn also should be fun. Both are packed on weekends, JF is a bit cheaper than Golden Unicorn.

Pizza too is a good idea.

If Indian is an option then you can head to Curry Hill, most all spots have either a lunch buffet or - perhaps better - thali options. With a thali you get a very large round tray filled with separate dishes of food. You can go "meat or vegetarian." All should be in the $10 range or so. That way you know the cost heading in, plus tax and tip.

Vietnamese for Pho is also an option. One large table. You can get spring rolls and summer rolls and then everyone gets a Pho. That also should keep you in your price range. Have fun!

Their strawberry shortcake, both single serving, and cake, is delicious. Very light, not too sweet. Their ricotta cheesecake too wet think is outstanding They still sell many cakes to many restaurants around the city.

After saying about a year ago that I planned to get to Kokum, I finally did and had a couple of great meals over a few weeks' time.

On both our visits, the first a month plus ago and the second just the other night, Kokum was busy, essentially every table taken. One evening walks in were told there was no table available. When I spoke with one of the managers she said they have been packed of late. The restaurant is relatively small, well lighted, tables against the wall are close together. Service is quite good, informative, welcoming.

Having tried a number of dishes we think, perhaps not surprisingly, their strengths are southern indian dishes. Their masala dosa is excellent, we think better than the one from the "famous" chain across the street and south a block. Their uttapam too was excellent, we had one with peas and tomatoes and asked them to add chili. They have some of the same dishes found at some other of their restaurants, including chili paneer, sautéed with peppers, also excellent. And a very good similar fried cauliflower starter. Of the various lamb and chicken dishes we had all were good, the kori gassi in a red curry was great, lamb madras similar. Both curries, however, are on the "thin" side so to speak, in terms of sauce. We generally prefer thicker curries. For whatever reason our chicken kori seemed to us to be very sparse on the chicken. As in "where is the chicken...?" At the same time, a dish of tikka nasal at a table across from us seemed to have much more chicken, go figure. All the vegetarian sides were good, their saag paneer was great, the other few veggie dishes we had I don't recall precisely. Breads were all very good, including a stuffed paratha. Their coconut rice is delicious. A table next to us had the banana wrapped and grilled fish and it looked great, they said it was their second time there ordering the dish. Beers were had by all. They have a wine list but, like all too many mid-range spots nowadays, the pricing is high, higher than what you expect or should be charged in view of the food.

We had two very good meals and Kokum is certainly now in the rotation. Indeed, just as we were saying at our table, "this rice is delicious" we heard the table behind us say "well, I guess we found our new favorite Indian."